Chapter 269

The dark red wooden door of the cabin pushed open.

Inside the cabin space, formation patterns emerged one after another, causing the surrounding air to solidify.

Yin Five's sturdy and upright body appeared outside the door; he looked to be in his early thirties, with long, slightly curly hair and rough but textured skin. Just standing there gave people a heroic temperament that stood tall between heaven and earth.

"Ninth Brother, we finally meet in the way of the Hidden Sect; I have waited for this day for a long time." Li Li Youyi looked at Shi Shi Jiuzhai, who walked in.

Shi Shi Jiuzhai was the first truly human being Li Li Youyi met when he came to this world. At that time, seeing him exhale and turn it into clouds, and take steps of ten or twenty feet, was like seeing a god.

Now, meeting again in this way, a sense of pride that "how can people of our generation be mere weeds" arose in Li Li Youyi's heart.

Seeing him like a god in the past, today I am also a god.

Li Li Youyi had long suspected that Shi Shi Jiuzhai was a member of the Hidden Sect.

The first is that a year ago, Li Li Youyi and Li Qing had just sneaked into the Jiuli Hidden Sect, and the Jiuli Hidden Sect received the news shortly after. This was what Yin Twenty-four told Li Li Youyi later.

The second is that after being caught by Shi Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Shi Shishi, Li Li Youyi inexplicably escaped on the boat.

What truly made Li Li Youyi certain that Shi Shi Jiuzhai definitely had a problem was after the Hidden Lord and the Great Master of the Earth Wolf King Army met in the Immortal Realm space of Burial Xianzhen.

When the Hidden Lord chatted with Li Li Youyi, he revealed that he had once thought about using the Immortal Law Stars to lure the enemy to the ancestral mountain of the Cangli tribe and wipe them all out. Sacrificing the Cangli tribe in exchange for the peace of the Jiuli tribe.

If the Hidden Lord wanted to accomplish this, then Shi Shi Jiuzhai must be his person.

Later, getting the roster of Hidden People also confirmed this point.

"Greetings, Hidden God!"

Shi Shi Jiuzhai cupped his hands and bowed, sat down next to Yin Two, and sighed with emotion: "Fate is truly wonderful! More than a year ago, when we met on the mountain in Burial Xianzhen, you and your companion were as down-and-out as two wolf cubs. How could I have imagined that in such a short time, tonight the two of us would sit here and watch the night view on both sides of the river together? And you have become our leader!"

"At that time, I received the Heavenly King's order to lead a team of wolf soldiers with lower cultivation who couldn't have any famous figures, disguise ourselves as Buddha-degree thieves, raid Lizhou, snatch the Alien Realm Coffin, and stir up the conflict between the Jiuli tribe and Coffin Mountain."

"I went to meet the Hidden Lord first to discuss countermeasures. So, I separated from the army and arrived at Burial Xianzhen a day later than them... hehe, arriving a day late actually gave me an extra share of such fate."

Li Li Youyi laughed: "Thinking about it carefully now, the fact that Li Ling and I were able to escape was all because you deliberately let us go."

Shi Shi Jiuzhai sighed: "Lurking in the Earth Wolf King Army for fifteen years, many things are beyond one's control; if you show a slight flaw, the outcome might be more terrifying than death. Sometimes, you have to make compromises and sacrifices."

"At that time, on the surface, it was the Buddha-degree thieves disguised by the Earth Wolf King Army taking action, and the Dragon Court weighing the Cangli. In reality, there were two other major experts from the Sui Sect lurking in the dark, preparing to kill Li Li Songlin and the Cangli together in Burial Xianzhen, escalating the conflict to the point of war."

"That you and Zhao Zhao Zhizhuo were able to flee to Yao Guan to seek help was because the Hidden Sect elders secretly assisted, which is why it was so smooth."

"The Hidden Sect couldn't appear in public at that time."

Li Li Youyi thought of later, on the Sui River boat, meeting Yang Yang Qingxi and Yang Yun by chance. At that time, Yang Yun spoke without restraint and exposed the secret that their siblings were in Yao Guan.

It can be seen that the Sui Sect must have participated in this matter.

Li Li Youyi asked about the main business: "What's going on with Qi Xiao? A Dao Seed Realm martial cultivator, a hegemon of the human world, how could he disappear without a sound?"

Those who can cultivate to the Dao Seed Realm are all existences with extremely high talent.

Yin Two claimed his talent was average—that was only average among Hidden People. A Dao Seed Realm second heaven in his thirties, placed among all martial cultivators, is definitely one in a hundred thousand, one in a million.

Among the sixty Hidden People in a sixty-year cycle, more than ninety percent have no connection to longevity.

When Qi Xiao disappeared, at first, everyone thought he had gone to the underground immortal mansion.

It was the Qi family that first noticed something was wrong.

After multiple investigations, it was discovered that before Qi Xiao disappeared, he had sent people to look for Yang Yang Qingxi.

But at that time, Yang Yang Qingxi and the Sui Sect's troops had all left Qiuzhouzhoucheng, so the investigation fell into a deadlock.

The world is vast, and danger is everywhere. In this world, countless people disappear every day; finding a person is very difficult, and having no corpse left is the norm.

During that period, Li Li Youyi had to pretend to be seriously injured and crippled; when he learned of this, it was already three months later. He naturally felt guilty in his heart, worried that it was really because of Yang Yang Qingxi's matter that Qi Xiao met with misfortune.

Shi Shi Jiuzhai said: "For three months, I have investigated both the underground immortal mansion and Yang Yang Qingxi's directions!"

"The first thing I checked was the city gate entry and exit records. In the days when Qi Xiao disappeared, there was no record of him leaving the city."

"Then there are only two possibilities: first, he encountered a top-tier powerhouse, was subdued or killed without a sound, and then his body was destroyed."

"Second, he used some method to avoid the city gate soldiers."

"Therefore, the possibility of going to the underground immortal mansion can basically be ruled out."

"Assuming it is the first situation, according to the information mastered by the Hidden Sect and the investigations of the Qi family and the Brother Zuoqiu Sect, at that time in Qiuzhouzhoucheng, there were only three Sui Sect experts with this strength, including Yao Qian."

"The Qi family has investigated this direction, and it is very difficult to find results."

"What I focused on investigating was the second situation! Under what circumstances would Qi Xiao deliberately avoid the registration of the city gate soldiers?"

Li Li Youyi pondered: "Unless the person he wanted to avoid was not the city gate soldiers."

Shi Shi Jiuzhai nodded: "He was following someone!"

"Following whom?" Li Li Youyi said.

Shi Shi Jiuzhai said: "He wouldn't dare to follow someone with too high a cultivation. Following someone with too low a cultivation has no meaning."

"Yang Yang Qingxi?" Li Li Youyi said.

Shi Shi Jiuzhai said: "It's very likely! I followed this guess and continued to investigate, and I really found some things."

"The first thing I checked was Yang Yang Qingxi's city gate entry and exit records during that period, and there were no results. So, I changed my thinking and copied all the carriage and horse records of leaving the city on the day Qi Xiao left the Qi residence, spending a lot of time screening and excluding."

"In the end, the Qingyun Carriage Firm with Sui Sect background became my key target for investigation. The boss of the Qingyun Carriage Firm was from the Sui Sect; this secret was only known to the Jiuli tribe."

"The Sui Sect knows the Jiuli tribe very well, and the Jiuli tribe also knows them equally well."

"Every driver, every exotic beast carriage or horse carriage of the Qingyun Carriage Firm was registered, including the departure and arrival times. I quietly stole this book of carriage and horse travel records and copied a copy. Consequently, I found traces!"

"Wang Zhi entered the Qingyun Carriage Firm two months before the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival and held Yang Yang Qingxi's introduction letter."

"He also disappeared on the day Qi Xiao disappeared! The city gate guards have a record that he drove out of the city that night and never returned."

"Where is Yang Yang Qingxi?" Li Li Youyi's eyes were terrifyingly cold.

Investigating to this step, it can almost be confirmed that this matter must be related to her.

Although Li Li Youyi had planted the Six Desires Talisman on her, he was not a Spirit Reader or a Dao Seed Realm cultivator at the moment, so he couldn't sense her location through the Six Desires Talisman.

Moreover, it had already been half a year!

Li Li Youyi said: "When I first arrived in Nine Li City, I just wanted to buy a house and be an honest Li citizen with my companions, never thinking of getting involved in right and wrong. But in this world, there is no place for us at all; the Long Forest Gang came to the door that very day."

"As the Cang Li armor head, Fourth Uncle has such a noble status, yet he was willing to stand up for us and personally went to the Long Forest Gang to intimidate them. When picking the Dyed Clouds exotic medicine, the first thing he thought of was me."

"When you are weak, when you have nothing, when you have no value, how can you not remember for a lifetime the person who sheltered you from the wind and rain?"

"To be honest, when I learned the news of the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, I was very clear that I was not qualified to participate. My cultivation and strength could not keep up no matter what."

"It was because of Fourth Uncle that I felt I could fight for it. I don't want to see such a free and easy person spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair; what a painful thing that is?"

After a long silence, the Hidden Lord said: "I will tell him these words exactly as they are; he will surely be very moved. But you don't understand him; he was already overjoyed when he knew you shone at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival! If he knew you gave your Longevity Pill to him, he would absolutely never eat it."

"Half a year has passed; he probably thinks he is already safe. Because the Qi family didn't find the Qingyun Carriage Firm, and when I investigated, I was extremely careful and cautious, not alerting anyone."

"Ten days ago, the person I planted in the carriage firm came to report. Wang Zhi actually returned to the Qingyun Carriage Firm, and in a sudden change of identity, became the adopted son of the carriage firm boss, Wang Wang Shouxin."

Li Li Youyi had already calmed down and picked up the wine cup, drinking the sixth cup: "A person who has already left suddenly returns; what is this for?"

"Is the Hidden God preparing to take action?" Shi Shi Jiuzhai could feel Li Li Youyi's care for Qi Xiao and his coldness toward the enemy.

Li Li Youyi said: "Take him down first, lest there be long delays. Ninth Brother, come with me for a trip?"

Shi Shi Jiuzhai hesitated, but finally nodded.

"Second Brother, the Hidden Sect should have Extreme Day Light Dew, right? Get me a hundred drops." Li Li Youyi stood up, not wanting to wait for a moment.

"Pfft!"

Yin Two spat out a mouthful of wine and exclaimed: "A hundred drops? Extreme Day Light Dew is a supreme treasure born in the land of extreme day, like liquid light; one drop can refine a hundred Light Flame Pills."

"Extreme Day Light Dew has to be bought from Thousand-Mile Mountain even by the Jiuli Divine Temple; one drop costs between 30,000 and 40,000 Spring Coins."

"I can buy you ten drops at most; the old rule is you pay half, and the Hidden Sect pays half."

Li Li Youyi frowned, not expecting Extreme Day Light Dew to be so precious.

The shortcuts in this world are indeed piled up with money.

Fortunately, Yang Yang Qingxi owes him five million Spring Coins; this debt must be collected.

In order to quickly become a Spirit Reader, he had to spend a lot of money. Li Li Youyi said: "Thirty drops, no less; I will raise 500,000 Spring Coins for you as soon as possible. If it really doesn't work, I'll go to the head of the Cangli tribe and say this is the expense for his daughter's cultivation."

"In addition, help me check the Hidden Sect treasury to see if there are any Spirit Platform Flame Star Stone fragments. If not, then in my name, acquire them in a high-profile way; the price is negotiable."

Yin Two's eyes dimmed: "Can the Hidden God really only take the path of a Reader?"

"A Reader who cultivates to the level of the Confucian Dao ancestor of the Brother Zuoqiu Sect can still call the wind and rain and laugh proudly in the human world," Li Li Youyi said frankly.

Li Li Youyi and Shi Shi Jiuzhai drove the carriage toward the Qingyun Carriage Firm.

Shi Shi Jiuzhai observed Li Li Youyi's eyes and demeanor and laughed: "Seeing you rekindle your fighting spirit, I feel much better! At that time, if my cultivation had been one heaven higher, I should have been able to take that sword for you."

At that time, even facing a Longevity Realm giant, Shi Shi Jiuzhai and Shi Shi Liuyu didn't hesitate to take action to rescue him. Not mentioning character, not mentioning whether the rescue succeeded, Li Li Youyi accepted this intention when facing extreme danger!

So, when Shi Shi Jiuzhai said just now that he wanted to take that sword for Li Li Youyi, Li Li Youyi believed him!

Li Li Youyi believed!

"What realm is Ninth Brother at?" Li Li Youyi asked suddenly.

Shi Shi Jiuzhai said: "Dao Seed Realm sixth heaven."

Li Li Youyi was secretly shocked; no wonder Yin Eleven said that among their sixty-year cycle, in terms of foundation, Hidden Nine was number one. But in terms of cultivation speed, Hidden One and Hidden Five were the fastest.

A Dao Seed Realm sixth heaven in his thirties—the cultivation speed was probably faster than Zuo Qiu Zuoqiu Cangwu at the same age.

This was a Longevity Realm giant seed!

Longevity Realm giants in the world are few and far between.

Like Coffin Mountain, one of the top three major forces in the Southern Region, there are only two Longevity Realm giants. Perhaps there are others hidden who are not famous, but it is very difficult to hide them; having one or two is the limit!

For a major sect like the Sui Sect, the total number of Longevity Realm giants and Holy Spirit Readers is only three. Most of the first experts of the seven major families in the sect are at the Dao Seed Realm level.

Only the Hidden Sect of a major force at the level of a thousand-year-old sect has a complete talent selection system, resource reserves, and thousands of years of foundation to secretly cultivate a large number of experts.

Even so, for the Jiuli tribe, a thousand-year-old clan, the heads of the nine major tribes and the nine priests of the Jiuli tribe's divine temple are not all Longevity Realm giants and Holy Spirit Readers.

Many of them are stuck at the Dao Seed Realm and Spirit Reader level.

The Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, with twenty Longevity Pills lost, will inevitably change the pattern of the world, allowing many old guys who were originally trapped in the Dao Seed Realm to secretly reach the Longevity Realm.

Shi Shi Jiuzhai said: "Every three heavens in the Dao Seed Realm is a major transformation; the fourth heaven condenses the Dao lotus, and the seventh heaven condenses the Dao fruit. If I condense the Dao fruit, my strength will undergo earth-shaking changes... but this step is very difficult; it is possible that I could cultivate for another ten or twenty years and still not succeed."

"I really envy your generation for being able to fight for the Dragon Seed..."

At this point, Shi Shi Jiuzhai stopped talking, realizing he had touched Li Li Youyi's pain, and laughed: "I really want to know if you and Yang Yang Qingxi have slept together yet?"

"Why?" Li Li Youyi asked with a smile.

Shi Shi Jiuzhai said: "Yang Yang Qingxi, this woman, can arouse any man's desire for conquest. If you have touched her, I will naturally put away my thoughts of conquest; when we meet in the future, I will either kill her directly or let her live."

Li Li Youyi hesitated, thinking about how to answer.

"Haha, I understand!" Shi Shi Jiuzhai laughed.

(End of chapter)